Class of 2021 - Center for Leadership

Fellows

Full list of Fellows and Teaching Assistants is available here.

FELLOWS

Piotr Arak

Director of the Polish Economic Institut... Show bio

Piotr Arak

Director of the Polish Economic Institute A social and economic analyst, he previously worked at Deloitte, Polityka Insight think-tank, the United Nations Development Programme, the Ministry of Administration and Digitisation, and the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. He graduated in social policy from the University of Warsaw, followed by further studies on using statistical methods in business and an MBA at the Warsaw School of Economics and Université du Québec à Montréal. He is writing a Ph.D. on public policy at the University of Warsaw. He has written numerous studies on digitization, the economics of health, and economic policy.

Piotr Babicki

Starachowice District Head, Starachowice... Show bio

Piotr Babicki

Starachowice District Head, Starachowice District Office Political scientist and internal security specialist (University of Warsaw), executive MBA. Currently serves as Starachowice District Head chosen from non-party, social election committee.
The founder of several non-governmental organizations strengthening civic activity in local communities. A graduate of the program "Leaders of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation". The tutor in two editions of the "Leaders for Youth" program in the Świętokrzyskie Region, run by the School for Leaders Foundation.
Local government activist. Vice-Chairman of Starachowice Town Council 2014-218. Currently also the councilman of District Council.
His life would be empty without family and music. A lover of skiing and swimming.

Nina Józefina Bąk

Cooperative leader at CoopTech Hub Show bio

Nina Józefina Bąk

Cooperative leader at CoopTech Hub Propagator of the cooperative movement and social economy in Poland. Founder and long-time leader of social enterprise ‘Dobrze’ Food Cooperative that promotes sustainable food and agriculture. A founding member of the Food Sovereignty Movement "Nyeleni" and the "Living Earth" Coalition. Since the beginning of 2021, she is working in CoopTech Hub where she supports the creation of new cooperatives from various industries. Currently, she is working on developing know-how to establish the first citizen-based energy cooperatives in Poland.
She is a certified coach specializing in the area of leadership and cooperation for social change. As part of her training and coaching activities, she conducted workshops, incl. on eco-feminism, the economy of commons, and social entrepreneurship. She is the leader of the hip-hop band KOMPOST. In April 2021 she was included in the Forbes Women ranking of 20 sustainable development leaders.

Krzysztof Brzózka

Chief Scientific Officer, EVP at Ryvu Th... Show bio

Krzysztof Brzózka

Chief Scientific Officer, EVP at Ryvu Therapeutics Krzysztof Brzózka is the Chief Scientific Officer at Ryvu Therapeutics. He has joined Ryvu Theraputics in 2007 and has applied his interdisciplinary expertise ever since, to build a broad pipeline of small molecule oncology therapeutics and a high throughput discovery engine platform. Dr. Brzózka is responsible for the management of the early pipeline candidates, covering their full development until the clinical phase. He is also responsible for bringing into the clinic two Ryvu first-in-class oncology programs: dual PIM/FLT3 inhibitor SEL24/MEN1703 and SEL120, CDK8 inhibitor. Dr. Brzózka is also a member of the board of Ardigen, a bioinformatics and precision medicine company, and contributed to the founding of NodThera, a biotechnology company focused on therapeutics related to inflammasome biology.
Krzysztof Brzózka holds a Ph.D. degree from Ludwig Maximilian University. He also earned an MBA from the Stockholm University School of Business and the Krakow University of Economics Business School. Dr. Brzózka contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed publications in areas including intracellular signaling, immunology, and medicinal chemistry.

Jakub Gorski

Primary School and Preschool Director, L... Show bio

Jakub Gorski

Primary School and Preschool Director, Lokomotywa Co-creator of Towarzystwo Edukacyjne Lokomotywa, president of the board for 10 years, currently Lokomotywa Primary School and Lokomotywa Preschool director. Specializes in designing educational, training, and teambuilding programs. Initiator of social and charity actions engaging young volunteers. Producer of the Heroes Gala, a concert devoted to the memory of distinguished Poles combined with a screening of films about the meritorious characters. Gdańsk leader of the Extreme Way of the Cross, which since 2014 has gathered nearly 1000 people each time on the 50 km long route. Privately happy husband and father of six children, avid skier, and sailor.

Dariusz Jemielniak

Head of MINDS dept. Kozminski University... Show bio

Dariusz Jemielniak

Head of MINDS dept. Kozminski University, Wikimedia Foundation Trustee Dariusz Jemielniak is Full Professor and head of Management in Networked and Digital Environments (MINDS) department, Kozminski University, and faculty associate at Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society, Harvard University. He is a corresponding member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His recent books include Collaborative Society (2020, MIT Press, with A. Przegalinska), Thick Big Data (2020, Oxford University Press), Common Knowlege? An Ethnography of Wikipedia (2014, Stanford University Press). His current research projects include climate change denialism online, anti-vaxxer internet com-munities, and bot detection. He serves on the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees. He also founded and led several tech-ed startups, including ling.pl, the largest online dictionary in Poland, and instal-ing.pl, a free educational platform for teachers, used by over 200 thousand users weekly.

Joanna Kalinowska

Director of Development at Copernicus Sc... Show bio

Joanna Kalinowska

Director of Development at Copernicus Science Center A graduate of the Inter-Faculty Studies of Environmental Protection at the University of Warsaw, she worked in non-governmental organizations in the field of education and fundraising, as a Project Coordinator and Development Director. For the last 12 years she has been working in the Copernicus Science Center – for the last seven years as a Director of Development. She was a Member of the Program Committee of the annual conference of the Association of Science Centers and Interactive Museums ECSITE and is a Chief of the Programme Committee for the Interakcja – Integracja conference for Polish Science Centres and Museums. She is passionate about fundraising, social causes, and music, and in her spare time sings in a Choir at the SWPS University in Warsaw.

Edyta Kąkol

Director of Accounting and Controlling a... Show bio

Edyta Kąkol

Director of Accounting and Controlling at Grupa Pracuj Holding currently the position of Finance & Accounting Director in Grupa Pracuj S.A., she is responsible for the direct management of several key accounting and reporting functions within the organization, including budgeting, forecasting, financial and regulatory reporting, procure-to-pay, general ledger, and order to cash cycles, compliance with tax regulations. She is also involved in supporting presentations to the Supervisory Board of Directors, assisting the CFO with treasury and cash management duties. She also leads, coaches, and mentors a team of 20 staff members. She is a partner with the group CFO, senior managers, and information technology staff to enhance and better integrate finance and IT functions. As a problem-solving mindset leader and results-driven person, she provides tools and processes improvement successfully. She is a co-inventor of the Order to Cash automatized process and the Purchase to Pay process with workflow system which was awarded the Digital Finance Award in 2018, for promoting innovative culture and the implementation of new solutions in managing finance.

Myroslava Keryk

Head of the Board at "Our Choice" Founda... Show bio

Myroslava Keryk

Head of the Board at "Our Choice" Foundation Myroslava Keryk, MA in History, historian, sociologist, a specialist in the field of migration of Ukrainians to Poland. Head of the civic organization Foundation „Our Choice” and Chief-editor of the newspaper “Nash Vybir.” In her daily work, she combines designing and implementation of integration activities directed to Ukrainian migrants in Poland with research projects in the field of migration studies. She is the author of numerous articles and reports on the situation of migrants in Poland. She is also a member of the Commission for Migration organized under the auspices of the Spokesman for Citizens' Rights in Poland. She has received the award "Golden Fan" established by the International Organization for Migration Poland for the activities directed on the integration of migrants in Poland. She has also received the Badge of Honor of Merit for Warsaw.
The organization that she is in charge, has established the Ukrainian House in Warsaw. This House is the cultural and integration center for the Ukrainian diaspora in Warsaw, but also a meeting point for Ukrainians and Poles and a place for their common projects.

Alicja Knast

General Director at Narodni Galerie Prah... Show bio

Alicja Knast

General Director at Narodni Galerie Praha CR Museologist, graduated from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań in musicology. During her professional career as a museum professional, she managed, curated, or collaborated in over one hundred temporal exhibitions. Her area of specialization is capital projects in museums, accessibility, programming, and strategies. She led and completed Chopin Museum’s permanent exhibition, Polin Museum’s core exhibition in Warsaw, and Muzeum Śląskie’s in Katowice new seat and revitalization projects. In 2020 she won a competition for the position of general director in Narodni Galerie Praha, which she holds since January 2021.

Wiesław Kotecki

Partner, Customer Strategy & Applied Des... Show bio

Wiesław Kotecki

Partner, Customer Strategy & Applied Design Leader for Central Europe at Deloitte Leader of Customer Strategy and Applied Design Offering in Central Europe. During his 16 years of career, he supports clients in the field of experience strategy. In his work, he focuses on building a competitive advantage based on the customer's perspective and its use in the digital transformation of enterprises.
He has carried out projects in 30+ countries. He has cooperated with clients in Poland, the USA, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Mexico, Belgium, France, Russia, Slovenia, and Montenegro. He specializes in the financial, telecommunications, automotive, and health sectors. His projects have been awarded many times.
Originator and co-founder of the largest user experience conference in Europe - UX Poland (12th edition in 2021). Lecturer at the most prestigious industry conferences in Poland, but also in Argentina, Great Britain, Portugal, and Turkey.
In 2016, after 10 years of running the first Polish company specializing in UX - Uselab, he joined Deloitte Digital with the whole team - currently, he leads the Experience Design team in Central Europe.
Since December 2019 he's broadcasting one of the most popular business podcasts in Poland - Człowiek Biznes Technologia (70 episodes+).

Grzegorz Kubalski

Deputy Director at Association of Polish... Show bio

Grzegorz Kubalski

Deputy Director at Association of Polish Counties Grzegorz P. Kubalski - lawyer, an expert in public management in local government, active local government member. Graduated from the Faculty of Physics and the Faculty of Law and Administration – both at the Warsaw University. Self-government expert working mainly in the Association of Polish Counties (since 2008), currently as the Deputy Director in this organization. He regularly participates in the Joint Commission of the Government and Local Government and in parliamentary works. Expert in works on the creation of the Public Services Monitoring System. In recent years, he has provided expert support, inter alia, The Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, the Central Statistical Office, and Małopolska School of Public Administration of the Cracow University of Economics. He lectured at the WSB University in Warsaw, currently the main specialist at the Department of Economics and Finance of the Local Government of the Warsaw School of Economics. Member of the THINKTANK Council of Experts. He participated in the work on the local government alerts of the Open Eyes Economy Summit, co-author of commentaries to acts, author of scientific articles. In his self-government activity, he was, inter alia, Chairman of the Legionowo County Council and the Mayor of the Jabłonna Commune. Currently, a Member of the Legionowo County Board.

Rafał Marszewski

Director at Intel Show bio

Rafał Marszewski

Director at Intel Poland site leader of Intel Optane Firmware organization with 17+ years experience in all aspects of technology products. Actively supporting local site growth by start up multiple projects, organization creation, process development, and optimization, culture mindset shift, brand enabling, hiring, leading, and inspiring the best in class engineers and managers. Recently involved in the joint creation of the "Leadership Lab" program for leaders of Intel Poland, the main goal of which is the culture mind-shift.

Łukasz Michorowski

Audit Partner at Deloitte Show bio

Łukasz Michorowski

Audit Partner at Deloitte Lukasz started his career at Deloitte’s Warsaw office in September 2006. Between 2011 and 2013 he worked in Deloitte London office holding a manager role in the Infrastructure and Real Estate Audit Department. He is experienced in auditing large and complex international groups and public companies listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange. In Deloitte, he is also responsible for providing various advisory services (non-audit) to real estate and construction clients. He is the author of the well-recognized Deloitte annual publication Polish Powers of Construction.

Roman Namysłowski

Managing Partner at Crido Show bio

Roman Namysłowski

Managing Partner at Crido He is a Managing Partner at the Tax Advisory Services Department at CRIDO Taxand. Earlier, since 2014, he has headed the Indirect Taxes Team. As part of his professional practice, he has coordinated a number of tax reviews and prepared reports and opinions on a diversity of legal and tax-related issues. For twenty years he has been specializing in VAT and excise tax advice for Polish and foreign entities. He has also prepared proposals for changes to the tax law for executive and legislative authorities. He is a recognized VAT expert and a laureate of industry rankings. In 2015, 2017, and 2019 he was named the best VAT advisor in the Tax Advisory Firms Rankings by daily newspapers Rzeczpospolita and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. He is an initiator and creator of a number of innovative projects and solutions for Polish taxpayers, including a concept of modern IT tools controlling the correctness of tax accounting. This solution was recognized in a ranking by Rzeczpospolita in which CRIDO Taxand was the winner of the category “Innovative solution of 2016”. He is the author of numerous interviews and press publications on VAT as well as expert opinions for the Parliament, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Economy. For many times he has served as an expert at the Parliamentary Committee for Public Finance and Senate Committee of Budget and Public Finance during works on projects of amending the VAT act. In 2014-2016, he was a member of the Tax Law Consultative Committee in the Ministry of Finance and a member of the VAT Expert Group in the European Commission.

Agata Oktawiec

Partner at PwC Show bio

Agata Oktawiec

Partner at PwC Agata Oktawiec has been working in PwC since 2002. From the beginning of her career, she has been specializing in corporate income tax and international tax law. Agata leads ITS and AoT practice in Po-land and is also ITS leader for CEE.
Agata was involved in numerous tax projects covering M&A deals, tax restructuring within the capital groups, tax reorganizations, permanent establishment issues, and other tax aspects related to international transactions, including the ones concerning withholding tax, DAC6, and GAAR.
Agata received a commendation in the Ranking of Tax Firms and Advisors in Gazeta Prawna Journal 2020 in the category International Financial Law.
Agata gained valuable experience in running international tax structuring projects during a secondment to PwC’s center for international tax services situated in Zurich (Switzerland).
Agata is also a member of the EUDTG network, a pan-European network of EU tax law experts who provide assistance to organizations, companies, and private persons to help them to fully benefit from their rights under EU law.
Agata graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics, specialization: Management and Marketing, as well as the Faculty of Law and Administration of Warsaw University, specialization: Financial Law.
Agata is a licensed tax advisor. Agata speaks English and German and basic French.
Agata loves sports (skiing, tennis, and windsurfing are top ones).

Agnieszka Orłowska

Software Engineering Manager at Intel Show bio

Agnieszka Orłowska

Software Engineering Manager at Intel 20+ years of experience in IT and aviation business. Proven track record in managing teams in a matrix and not-matrix organization. Gain experience with the transfer of highly specialized services. Able to provide an added value by combining both my MSc in Computer Science and multidisciplinary leadership experience (IT, HR, Finance, Aviation) gained in multicultural global organizations. Specialize in ensuring efficiency through hands-on management practices. Interested in business psychology.
Love backpacking around the world - visited 80+ amazing countries and looking forward to exploring the globe. Keen on trekking - proud of independent (without guide and sherpa) Everest Base Camp trek.

Karolina Ostrzyniewska

Director at the Chancellery of the Prime... Show bio

Karolina Ostrzyniewska

Director at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland Senior civil servant and diplomat with over 20 years of varied and practical experience in national and international administrations, including the European Commission, Council of the EU, and Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2014 Secretary of the Committee for European Affairs. Served for 5 years as Deputy Permanent Representative of Poland to the European Union. Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives during Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Deep understanding of public sector decision-making processes at the national and European levels. Experienced negotiator with a proven track of delivery. Academic background in law and international economic relations.

Katarzyna Podgórna

Partner at PwC Poland Show bio

Katarzyna Podgórna

Partner at PwC Poland Leader of the Broader Assurance Services team in PwC Poland focusing on wider CFO agenda (Finance transformation, Modern and technology-enabled reporting, Accounting and integrated reporting advisory). She is also a People Partner in the Assurance Line of Service of PwC Poland.
On a day-to-day basis, she is leading the DataApps! the team developing IT solutions supporting finance functions, such as IFRS 16 compliant, MyLease Manager, and XBRL Reporter.
She has gained over 18 years of professional experience in audit and review of the financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS and PAR.
Kasia has also spent a year in PwC UK Capital Markets Group advising clients on IPOs, debt issues, and deals.
Her area of expertise is also accounting advisory, operating processes, and internal controls.
Kasia is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). She is also an ACCA member as well as a statutory Polish Registered Auditor.

Adam Pustelnik

Deputy Mayor City of Łódź Show bio

Adam Pustelnik

Deputy Mayor City of Łódź Adam Pustelnik holds a degree in law and international relations. He studied, among others at the University of Łódź, the European Academy of Diplomacy and the University of Oxford.
He worked at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the City of Łódź Office and Savills consulting company. At the City of Łódź Office in 2015-2019 he was the Director of the Investor Service Office. He was responsible for the implementation of the city's development strategy, attracting investors, economic promotion of the city and international cooperation.
In September 2020, he was appointed the first Deputy Mayor of the City of Łódź.
Within his duties, he supervises the Department of Planning and Business Development and the Department of Property Management.

Joanna Różycka-Iwan

Principal Investment Officer at MDIF Show bio

Joanna Różycka-Iwan

Principal Investment Officer at MDIF Principal Investment Officer at MDIF investing in media outlets in emerging markets. Joanna has 15 years of experience in investment, consulting, and financial management. She oversees a portfolio of debt and equity investments in Central Europe, the Balkans, and Central and South East Asia. She has advised, as-sessed, and developed business plans for scores of news outlets of every form in dozens of emerging markets. Serves at the Supervisory Board of Eurozet, the second radio group in Poland.
Prior to joining MDIF, she advised companies in Deloitte and Crido Taxand. During her consulting roles, she obtained over EUR 150 million financings for projects in different sectors (environmental protection, intermodal transport, renewable energy, innovation, training, SSC, R&D).
Joanna holds FCCA since 2019, being an ACCA member since 2014.

Tomasz Rudolf

Co-Founder & CEO at Doctor One Show bio

Tomasz Rudolf

Co-Founder & CEO at Doctor One Serial entrepreneur and innovator. As Co-Founder and CEO at Doctor One, he is preparing the launch of a digital health startup with a mission to provide private doctor care to everyone. He also co-founded and serves as Chairman of Supervisory board at company builder The Heart, co-creating new digital ventures with Mastercard and other leading corporations. He has over 20 years of experience in working with multinational organizations in the USA, Europe, and Asia on business models and product innovation. He is recognized as a "Visionary' Digital Shaper and a frequent speaker on strategy, technology, and innova-tion. In his free time, serves on the board of K.I.D.S. Foundation, transforming children's hospitals.

Monika Sadkowska

Coordinator of the Forum of Mayors at WW... Show bio

Monika Sadkowska

Coordinator of the Forum of Mayors at WWF Poland Just transition expert and climate activist in WWF Poland. Currently studying at Centre for European Regional and Local Studies (EUROREG). Graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics - Culture Manager- postgraduate studies and the University of Warsaw - Master of Cultural Studies. My previous workplace: Foundation ClientEarth Prawnicy dla Ziemi as Bełchatów Campaign Officer and many climate NGOs and grassroots movements. Earlier: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and Theater Institute in Warsaw as an event producer and a project coordinator.

Dominika Sikora-Malicka

Deputy Editor in Chief at Dziennik Gazet... Show bio

Dominika Sikora-Malicka

Deputy Editor in Chief at Dziennik Gazeta Prawna Since 2003 I have been associated with Gazeta Prawna. As a journalist, I specialized in the field of health protection. After the merger with Dziennik in 2009, I was the deputy head of the legal department and then became its manager. From April 2014, deputy editor-in-chief of DGP. Responsible for the substantive and conceptual coordination of book publications, e-books, newspaper supplements as well as audio and video content.
I am a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Warsaw, specialization: social policy. Twice awarded in the media category in the Health Manager competition. In 2010, I was awarded the Konfederatki award in the media category by Employers of the Republic of Poland.

Joanna Plona

VP Product at Wirtualna Polska Media Show bio

Joanna Plona

VP Product at Wirtualna Polska Media I had a quick career. While being 31, I became a VP responsible for: Ad Product Dev., the biggest Polish Email Provider and Radio&TV Online in Wirtualna Polska Media. For that to happen I worked hard, learning not only by experience and taking new responsibilities but also by finishing post-grad. studies in project mgmt & working with a coach for a year. Today my scope of responsibilities is wider - I got two new departments - Media Product and Business Intelligence. I know that with such a career jump I skipped some important lessons. That’s why I still focus on my strengths and work on weaknesses, taking every opportunity to learn more about leadership. I have 10 years of experience in digital media, I'm responsible for all products&business growth in Wirtualna Polska Media and leading a team of more than 150 people now.

Piotr Smoleń

CEO at Symmetrical.ai ltd Show bio

Piotr Smoleń

CEO at Symmetrical.ai ltd CEO of symmetrical.ai - rapidly growing global fintech startup. Builder, fintech nerd, and framework thinker. Really excited about building great product, brand & growth hacking from 0 to 1 and onwards! (with focus on B2B). Active angel investor. Privately, avid traveler and happy father.

Robert Socha

Google News Lab Teaching Fellow, CEE (in... Show bio

Robert Socha

Google News Lab Teaching Fellow, CEE (incoming) Robert Socha is a journalist, lawyer, and communications consultant. Robert spent 18 years (2003-2021) at TVN Discovery where he worked as an investigative reporter, managed a team of journalists, and produced dozens of documentaries with significant news impact on topics ranging from judicial corruption and pharmaceutical lobbying to an international IT bribery scandal. In the fall he starts as the new Google News Lab Teaching Fellow in the CEE region, training journalists in data, fact-checking, and visualizations. Robert has also started his own boutique communications consultancy advising individuals and companies how to tell their story in the best possible way and how to get their message through. In the 2016/2017 academic year Robert was awarded the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University where he was researching the intersection of media, law, and technology. He graduated from a law faculty (Jagiellonian University). In addition, he is a trained prosecutor (passed a bar exam for prosecutors in Po-land). He has authored two non-fiction books. An avid runner, has finished three marathons and a dozen half-marathons.

Kinga Stanisławska

Founder, GP at Experior VC and Founder o... Show bio

Kinga Stanisławska

Founder, GP at Experior VC and Founder of European Women in VC Kinga has been working in investments and finance for the past 20 years. She sits on boards of private and public companies.
Prior to Experior, she was the Global Head of TMT at Raiffeisen Investment in Vienna from 2007 to 2009. She started her career in banking at Salomon Smith Barney (Citigroup, London) and followed on to become a Manager in Equity Capital Markets team of ING Barings, with responsibility for the EMEA region. In 2001-2007 she was a Principal Banker at European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Lon-don and Warsaw), where she led investment and financing projects across the TMT and infrastructure sectors. She was responsible for supervising selected assets of EBRD’s equity portfolio as Supervisory Board member.
Kinga was the Vice President of the Polish PE/VC Funds Association (PSIK) for 5 years. She is active in supporting women-led companies – Kinga is a mentor in Vital Voices and Foundation for Women Entrepreneurship. She established the European Women in VC platform with the aim of increasing the number of female partners at venture funds across Europe from the current low single-digit percentage number it is today.
Kinga is also a member of the European Innovation Council Advisory Board to the European Commission's EIC.

Magdalena Stobińska

Professor of the University, University ... Show bio

Magdalena Stobińska

Professor of the University, University of Warsaw Magdalena Stobińska received her Ph.D. in 2007 from the University of Warsaw (Poland). She was a postdoc and the Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany). Since 2012 she has been a PI of several international research projects funded by the European Commission, Foundation for Polish Science and National Sci-ence Center as well as a visiting professor at the University of Oxford. Currently, she leads the Quantum Technologies Research Group (www.stobinska-group.eu) and coordinates the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Innovative Training Network “AppQInfo” with a consortium of 15 institutions from Europe, Canada, and Japan (www.appqinfo-itn.eu). Her research focuses on quantum optics, quantum infor-mation processing, and quantum communication. She closely collaborates with experimental teams.

Mateusz Strzelecki

University Professor, Head of Polar Stat... Show bio

Mateusz Strzelecki

University Professor, Head of Polar Station, University of Wrocław Prof. Matt C. Strzelecki - polar researcher and cold region geomorphologist, Head of Stanislaw Bar-anowski Polar Station of the University of Wroclaw in Spitsbergen, Member of Polish Young Academy of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His research concentrates on the transformation of polar landscapes in response to rapid climatic changes. He completed his Ph.D. at prestigious Durham University and worked as postdoctoral fellow and visiting researcher at University Centre in Svalbard (Norway), Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Germany). He led a number of field campaigns in islands of Scandinavia, Svalbard, Greenland and the Antarctic region concentrated on geomorphological processes operating on paraglacial and rocky coasts. He was a pioneer in investigations of weathering processes along Arctic rocky coasts exposed by the retreat of tidewater glaciers. Achievements in rock coast studies resulted in a nomination for Co-chair of Rocky Coasts Working group of International Association of Ge-omorphologists. His recent research focuses on the effects of tsunamis and storms on paraglacial coastal environments of Arctic and sub-Arctic regions and prediction which sites are most vulnerable to their impacts in a warmer future. His ambition is to transfer new knowledge to help Arctic communities re-duce the geohazard risk as most of their activities are concentrated along the coast. He is also the initia-tor of the Alfred Jahn Cold Region Research Programme at the University of Wroclaw designed to strengthen excellence in permafrost and periglacial research in Poland.

Michał Szolc

General Manager at Dziki Warszawa Show bio

Michał Szolc

General Manager at Dziki Warszawa Founder and General Manager of Dziki Warszawa - basketball club like no other with an ambition to be-come the best sports organization in Poland. Country Manager of Storytel Poland - Polish branch of the most dynamic audiobook streaming service in the world. Ex-Citi, PwC, Deloitte, Michelin.

Areta Szpura

Freelance Show bio

Areta Szpura

Freelance Mission impossible specialist. Started working at 16, Areta spent her first 10 years in the fashion indus-try. From styling celebrities, working in magazines like Elle or Glamour, to starting up her own clothing business at 20. After very successful 6 years as a CEO and creative director, she decided to leave the in-dustry and take up another challenge, saving our Planet. And she's been doing that ever since. Her first book, 'How to save the world' is a bestseller, it even was put on a list of mandatory school readings. She was awarded the Glamour Women of the Year and put on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, twice, both for her fashion and sustainability accomplishments. Currently, she's working on a new book about the future and trying to find her place in the world.

Marek Talarczyk

CEO at Netguru Show bio

Marek Talarczyk

CEO at Netguru Marek serves as the CEO of Netguru, a rapidly growing software consultancy. His role is to lead the team in fulfillment of the company's mission - helping innovators and entrepreneurs shape the World through beautiful software. Prior to joining Netguru, he was the COO at Videntifier, where he transformed the business from a startup to a company serving customers of the highest-profile in the law enforcement and security market. He also started his career with a bang by traveling to and studying or working in Finland, India, Iceland, and the US. Marek is passionate about technology, leadership, and startups. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, traveling, running, and learning new things.

Marta Titaniec

Chairwoman of the Board of Saint Joseph ... Show bio

Marta Titaniec

Chairwoman of the Board of Saint Joseph Foundation of Polish Bishop Conference Member of the Presidium of the Board of the Club of the Catholic Intelligentsia in Warsaw. A graduate of political science at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. From 2000, secretary general of the Polish Council of Christians and Jews. In 2010-2018, responsible for the implementation of humani-tarian and development projects at Caritas Polska. Since 2010, co-organizer of the European reconcilia-tion workshops in Oświęcim, together with the Foundation of Maksymilian Kolbe from Germany. From 2016, a member of the Development Cooperation Program Council at the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Chairwoman of the Organizing Committee of the 10th (2016) and 11th (2018) Gniezno Convention, vice-president of the Foundation St. Wojciech-Adalbert in Gniezno. Member of the "Więź" Laboratory Team. Co-founder with another layperson from Warsaw “Wounded in the Church Initiative”, a helpline for peo-ple affected by sexual abuse in the Church in Poland. Lives in Warsaw.

Lidija Vukić

CEO and Co-Founder of ANYSTAR.PL Show bio

Lidija Vukić

CEO and Co-Founder of ANYSTAR.PL CEO and Co-Founder of ANYSTAR.PL, subscription celebrity marketing for business. In marketing industry for more than 15 years, she was responsible for the sales and marketing in the fashion and furniture industry for 8 years, then has been co-creating influencer marketing market in Poland and CEE region. She worked for the largest MCN in Europe Divimove in Berlin and then co-founded an agency dedicated to YouTube - TalentMedia. In 2019 they acquired companies: LifeTube, Gamellon and Gameset, creating LTTM - largest group in CEE providing video and influencer marketing services.
In 2022 she exited the company to focus on a new project in creator's economy field. Mentor in the Shesnnovation Academy (supporting women in establishing their own start-ups) and Mentors4Teens. Co-Creator of Influencers4Good Project.

Damian Zieliński

VP Business Development CEE at Mastercar... Show bio

Damian Zieliński

VP Business Development CEE at Mastercard Manager with over 15 years experience in product management and business development in the pay-ments sector gained at Citibank, HSBC, and Mastercard. Currently as a VP, Core Business Development at Mastercard, Damian is heading Fintech business development and core products and services business growth in Central Eastern Europe. The key area of experience includes product strategy development and implementation, fintech business development, product and project teams management and project management in the field of product development, processes improvement, and marketing.

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

Szymon Czyszek

Director, Knights of Columbus Show bio

Szymon Czyszek

Director, Knights of Columbus Szymon serves as the Director of International Growth in Europe for the Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world with more than two million members in the United States, Canada, Poland, Ukraine, France, South Korea, and other countries. After working in the United States for almost seven years, he moved back to Poland to be responsible for the overall growth of the Knights of Columbus in Europe. In 2016, he served as the executive director of the Mercy Centre, the international site for the English-speaking pilgrims attending the World Youth Day in Kraków that hosted over 100,000 participants, including Pope Francis, making it the largest WYD event outside of the main stage papal events. He also serves on the Advisory Council of the Jagiellonian Club, an independent NGO, and think-tank established in 1994 in Krakow. He is a lawyer and a graduate of the Jagiellonian University School of Law and the UConn School of Law. He has been married for over 13 years and is a father of three children.

LAP Alumnus Class of 2019

Julian Dworak

Director, Advertising Producers Associat... Show bio

Julian Dworak

Director, Advertising Producers Association Julian is a television producer, marketing industry activist, change manager, and coach. Lodz Film School graduate and alumnus of Leadership Academy for Poland. In the process ICF and EMCC coaching certifications. His career in media and communication started in the late 1990’s. Worked as a commercial producer both for advertising agencies and production studios providing communication solutions for a vast number of major brands. Industry expert for developing marketing communication golden pitching standards. Created and currently runs the polish Advertising Producers Association (Klub Producentów Reklamowych SAR).

LAP Alumnus Class of 2019

Anna Gromada

Researcher, Polish Academy of Sciences Show bio

Anna Gromada

Researcher, Polish Academy of Sciences Anna is a lead author of high-impact UN reports, eg. “Worlds of Influence”. “Unequal Start” and “Are the World's Richest Countries Family Friendly?” (recently quoted by the European, the Dutch and the British Parliament as a basis for new legislation; subject of the press conference of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern; covered by thousands of media outlets around the world, including the front pages of the Guardian and Financial Times). A researcher at the Polish Academy of Sciences and a co-founder of the Kalecki Foundation. A former social policy advisor-analyst at the Chancellery of the President of Poland. Anna has prepared policy recommendations for the Polish and the French government, the OECD, and a myriad of research institutes around the world. She holds degrees in Economics, Development, Psychology and Politics from the University of Cambridge, Sciences Po Paris and Warsaw School of Economics as well as a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Polish Academy of Sciences.

LAP Alumna Class of 2018

Katia Roman-Trzaska

Co-founder, Recipe for Independence Foun... Show bio

Katia Roman-Trzaska

Co-founder, Recipe for Independence Foundation Katia is a former corporate lawyer, founder of Little Chef Cooking School for Kids, Poland's first and largest cooking school. Since 2007 Little Chef taught over 100,000 children about the importance of healthy eating, seasonal foods, culinary history, and cooking skills. Established innovative hands-on cooking programs for schools connected with school curriculum (history, geography, math). Co-founder of the Recipe for Independence Foundation (Fundacja Samodzielność od Kuchni) which helps teenagers from foster care gain independence and a sense of self-worth as they start adult lives. Mentor at Women's Enterprise Foundation (Sieć Przedsiębiorczych Kobiet) helping women start their own business and lead with integrity.

LAP Alumna Class of 2016

Marcin Kowalczyk

Head of Teaching Assistants of LAP / Dig... Show bio

Marcin Kowalczyk

Head of Teaching Assistants of LAP / Digital Managing Director | Chief Digital Officer Organization: Group Eurozet / Agora Radio Group Group Digital Managing Director oversees the development of all online activities of the Eurozet Group (Eurozet & Agora Radio Group).
Eurozet Group is the largest media segment of Agora Group, having 9 radio stations in the TOP20 most listened to stations in Poland (each week they are listened to by over 18 million adult Poles) and 11 websites (11-13 million monthly users).
Group Eurozet's portfolio: Radio ZET, Radio Tok FM, Radio Złote Przeboje, Antyradio, Radio Pogoda, Radio Chillizet, Rock Radio, Meloradio, Radio Plus.
As former Platform & Membership Strategy Director he was responsible for digital transformation of the PWN Group. Earlier, as General Manager, Business Operations and Group Head of Digital he was responsible for the digital transformation of Rzeczpospolita and Parkiet / Gremi Media Group. He was also Vice-President of Subscription Solutions of Deep.BI - an American AI-powered Big-Data digital subscription intelligence platform for media brands and strategic advisor of D-Share, Italian media tech company.
He has been working with the Financial Times Strategies, OSCE/MASE, ANRI MEDIA/WAN-IFRA training media companies from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Russia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. He is a guest lecturer of Kozminski University.
The alumni of Warsaw University of Technology (Executive MBA), Clark University (MA), Oxford Brookes University (BA) and digital programs at IESE Business School - University of Navarra and London School of Economics and Political Sciences. Privately a fan of all-kinds theatre.
Faculty Development Programme Team Member and Teaching Assistant of LAP Class 2019, 2021 & 2022

Campus Pre-Work Assignments

I. Bring-in assignments.

Poem. During the residential part of the Academy, we will have a poetry evening. Therefore, we ask each of you to select and bring to the first residential part a piece of poem or prose that matters to you personally, e.g. conveys a message, teaching, thoughts or emotions that are somehow important for you or others.
Leadership failure case (download instructions here). Select and prepare a 1-page written description of one important leadership failure case that you personally faced in the past, presumably in your work or in your civic or community life or in your personal life. Choose a case of your failure that was particularly important for you and you would like to make progress on during the program, one that you are willing to describe and discuss with other fellows of the Academy. To assist you in describing the case, we have prepared a short guide that is downloadable from the link provided above.
Tiger. Select a ‘tiger’ that you need or want to confront now or in the near future and where you would like to see a breakthrough. By a ‘tiger’ we mean “a difficult decision you need to take or a conversation you know you need to have or a situation you know you need to turn and face, people with whom you need to talk about something bothering you or affecting your work team, organization, family or friendship”.

II. Case studies. Preparing case studies is critical because without it you will not be able to engage and participate in the class. By preparing a case we mean reading it in details, thinking through it, and reflecting upon the study questions.

Case # 1: Rudi Gassner and Executive Committee in BMG International Preparation questions: Should Rudi change his objectives? What is the rational thing to do? How would you evaluate Rudi’s style? Would you like to work for him? How is the team functioning? Are they a high-powered group?
Case # 2: Rob Parson in Morgan Stanley. Preparation questions: Should Rob be promoted or not? What impact his promotion or a lack of promotion will have on the company? What is rational to do in view of the mission of the company? How will it influence the culture of the company?
Case # 3: Taking my former boss to task. Preparation questions: Was Bill a success or a failure? What could he have done differently to avoid the trap and later leaving the company? How did the company respond?
Case preparation guide: to prepare to the case discussion please read the article “Teaching by the Case Method”.

III. Readings. Please read all the readings in the suggested order.

IV. Videos. Please watch the following videos.

Campus Practical Information

Download in PDF here (no link yet).

IMPORTANT PROGRAM INFORMATION

1. Check-in and the start of the first residential part of the Academy

It is very important that you check-in at the Pałac Nowa Wieś between 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm on Sunday, September 19th. We suggest that you arrive earlier and have a relaxing lunch before we start.

2. Check-out and the end of the first residential part of the Academy

The last session will take place on Saturday, September 25th, morning and the official check-out will be at 1:00 pm, however, we will proceed with the program until 6:00 pm.

3. Dress code

Smart casual up to business casual is appropriate for the whole duration of the program, including welcome and closing dinners. We want you to feel relaxed so there is no need for suites.

4. Sportswear

Please bring to the hotel your sportswear (shoes, clothing) and – if possible, your yoga mat – we will have morning exercises.

5. Laptops

It is important that all fellows have their private laptops during the program – most assignments will be communicated online. However, all laptops should be kept in rooms for evening study and must not be brought for the sessions in the lecture hall.

6. Complimentary notebooks

All Fellows will receive a complimentary notebook for making notes and assignments during the whole Academy. It is important that you have your notebooks with you during all the sessions.

7. Name tags

All fellows will receive personal name tags. We ask you to have your name tag in a visible place on your attire during the sessions.

8. Where to sit in the lecture hall

For every session, when you come into the lecture hall, please take the frontmost and centermost seat available. Please follow this instruction, even if you prefer not to sit close to the front. Moreover, for every session, please sit next to someone you have not sat next to before.

9. Group meeting locations

You are free to choose any location that does not interfere with your work. If the weather is nice, you can use the beautiful garden of the Pałac Nowa Wieś for your group meetings.

10. Session’s schedule

You will be provided with a detailed program schedule a few days prior to the start of the Academy. Please remember that participation in each session is obligatory.

11. Internet

While there will be a Wi-Fi network available at the hotel, we recommend that all fellows have their own independent internet access (e.g. through mobile phone). This is because all assignments will be communicated online and it is important that you have uninterrupted internet access throughout the whole program.

USEFUL CONTACT INFORMATION

1. Contact information

If you need any assistance during the residential part please contact Agnieszka Domieniecka on her cell phone: +48 502 977 447.

2. Hotel manager contact information

On topics related closely to your stay at the hotel, you can contact the Pałac Mała Wieś reception at recepcja@palacmalawies.pl or +48 782 40 40 40, stating that you are a member of the Leadership Academy for Poland Class of 2021.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Venue

Pałac Mała Wieś, Mała Wieś.
Website: www.palacmalawies.pl.

2. Traveling

By far the easiest way to reach Pałac Mała Wieś is by car: the hotel is located about 1-hour drive from Warsaw.

3. Food and beverages

Coffee, tea, and water will be served during the sessions. Breakfast and lunch will be provided during the whole residential part along with the welcome and closing dinners. For the rest of the dinners, you can take advantage of the hotel restaurant’s menu.

4. Amenities at the Pałac Mała Wieś

Beautiful garden and lake with boats
Slow food restaurant
Boats, bikes, and other sport equipment
Massage center (pre-booking required)

We hope that you will enjoy your stay and benefit from the Academy professionally and personally.

COVID NOTE

Please, monitor government pandemic regulations provided here. At this moment we plan to meet face-to-face. However, we will monitor the regulations and will adjust accordingly.

Please read and fill out this questionnaire as soon as possible: by September 6, Monday 11:59 pm.
Read Epidemiological Control Card.

Residential session safety procedure:

All participants have to read the epidemiological control card (see above).
All participants who (a) have not been fully vaccinated before September 5th or (b) have not recovered from a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the past 5 months – are obliged to get tested for SARS-CoV-2 with RT-PCR 72h before the residential session.
Participants with negative results of RT-PCR obtained 72h or less before the session can take part in the meeting as well as participants fully vaccinated before September 5th and those who recovered from a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the past 5 months.

On the Online Patient Account you can find your vaccination certificate and download a QR code that confirms that you are vaccinated. Please have it with you at the session.

Immersion Program

(TBP)

Residential Session September

I. Details

Date: September 19-25, 2021

Venue: Pałac Mała Wieś

Epidemiological control card

II. Program Schedule

Please download the schedule for the first residential part here.

III. Campus Assignments and Study Materials

ALL SLIDES: (will be updated after the first residential session)

Day 1

Assignment — Slides — Groups

Day 2

Assignment — Slides

Day 3

Assignment — Slides

Day 4

Assignment — Slides

Day 5

Assignment — Slides

Day 6

Assignment — Slides

Day 7

Slides

Residential Session October

(TBP)

Residential Session & Graduation Ceremony December

(TBP)